Downtown Essex Junction Commercial Historic District
Downtown Essex Junction Commercial Historic District | |
44°29′36″N 73°6′35″W / 44.49333°N 73.10972°W / 44.49333; -73.10972 | |
Area | 2.8 acres (1.1 ha) |
---|---|
Built | 1893 (1893) |
Architect | Guernsey, George |
Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate |
NRHP reference No. | 04001216[1] |
Added to NRHP | November 1, 2004 |
The Downtown Essex Junction Commercial Historic District encompasses the historically railroad-dominated portion of downtown Essex Junction, Vermont. Aligned along the south side of Railroad Avenue and adjacent portions of Main Street, the area underwent most of its development between 1900 and 1940, when Essex Junction served as a major regional railroad hub. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.[1]
Description and history
The village of Essex Junction originally developed in the early 19th century as a mill village, based on the water power of the adjacent Winooski River. With the advent of the railroads, the village, benefiting from its proximity to Burlington, Vermont's largest city, became a major regional railroad hub, with six different railroad lines meeting in the area. The downtown area was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1893, but was rebuilt in the following decades. Although the railroads declined in use after World War II, the village continues to serve freight traffic, and has a passenger station on Amtrak's Vermonter service.[2]
The central focal point of the historic district is the Brownell Block, a two-story brick commercial building (pictured) at the western corner of Main Street and Railroad Avenue. It extends on the southwest side of Railroad Avenue to Central Street, and along Main Street from the "Five Corners" junction (Main, Pearl, Maple, Park, and Lincoln Streets) to Railroad Street, just across the Amtrak railroad tracks. The twelve buildings in this area are typically two stories in height. Most are of wood frame construction, but many have been faced in brick; only two buildings are of entirely masonry construction. Half the buildings were built before 1900, with only one (3 Main Street) predating the 1893 fire. Only one building (a former grocery store at 26 Railroad Avenue) was built after 1920.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b Lois Coulter and Lissa Papazian (2004). "NRHP nomination for Downtown Essex Junction Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved October 7, 2016. with photos from 2004
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Historic
Landmarks
- Round Church
- Shelburne Farms
- Ticonderoga
- Martin M. Bates Farmstead
- Battery Street Historic District
- Buell Street–Bradley Street Historic District
- Charlotte Center Historic District
- Giles Chittenden Farmstead
- Church Street Historic District
- City Hall Park Historic District
- Downtown Essex Junction Commercial Historic District
- Fort Ethan Allen Historic District
- Gray Rocks
- Head of Church Street Historic District
- Hinesburg Town Forest
- Honey Hollow Camp
- Jericho Center Historic District
- Jericho Village Historic District
- Dan Johnson Farmstead
- Lakeside Development
- LeClair Avenue Historic District
- Mad River Glen Ski Area Historic District ‡
- Main Street–College Street Historic District
- Mount Philo State Park
- Murray–Isham Farm
- North Street Historic District
- Pearl Street Historic District
- Pine Street Industrial Historic District
- Preston–Lafreniere Farm
- Redstone Historic District
- Remington–Williamson Farm
- Sand Bar State Park
- Shelburne Village Historic District
- South Union Street Historic District
- South Willard Street Historic District
- Sutton Farm
- Underhill State Park
- University Green Historic District
- Wells-Richardson Complex
- M. S. Whitcomb Farm
- Williston Village Historic District
- Winooski Falls Mill District
- Burlington Bay Horse Ferry
- General Butler (shipwreck)
- O.J. Walker (shipwreck)
- Phoenix (shipwreck)
- Winooski Archeological Site
‡ This historic property also has portions in an adjacent county.